Health Ministry data: Turkey has 2.4 doctors per 1,000 people, OECD average is 3.9

According to Health Ministry data, the total number of health personnel rose from 1 million 436 thousand 686 in 2024 to 1 million 441 thousand 114 in 2025, an increase of 4 thousand 428 people.

Dr. Derya Uğur, General Secretary of the Health and Social Services Workers' Union, evaluated this increase for Cumhuriyet and stated that she found it insufficient. According to OECD data cited by Uğur, Turkey has 2.4 active doctors per 1,000 people while the OECD average is 3.9. The gap is even deeper in nursing: Turkey has 2.9 nurses per 1,000 people while the OECD average is 9.2. In pharmacy, Turkey has 48 pharmacists per 100,000 people while the OECD average is 86. In the ratio of care workers aged 65 and over, Turkey has 4 workers per 100 people aged 65 and above while the OECD average is 5.

Uğur emphasized that the situation points to a serious problem regarding the sustainability of health services, arguing that the increasing workload is wearing down health workers both professionally and psychologically. Stating that 'success does not come from polishing statistics,' Uğur called on the Health Ministry to confront the data and proceed with adequate personnel hiring.

On October 17, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that announcements would be made before the end of 2026 for hiring 38 thousand non-physician health personnel. Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu, meanwhile, argues that Turkey provides the world's best health services.